Government has signed an agreement with provincial fairs and exhibitions to provide stable funding that supports maintenance of their infrastructure.
The agreement replaces the Agricultural Exhibitions and Fairs Regulations which have been repealed.
“The new agreement helps exhibitions maintain infrastructure that is important for their events and beneficial to their communities,” said Agriculture Minister Keith Colwell. “It also gives us the flexibility to make changes based on the needs of the fairs and exhibitions without having to go through the process of regulatory change.”
Under the terms of the new agreement, which has been approved by all the members of Exhibition Association of Nova Scotia, fairs and exhibitions will apply annually for their funding, outlining how it will be used for facilities on their site. They will be responsible for reporting at the end of the projects, including detailed project expenses.
“We’re very pleased to see this commitment to stable, long-term funding by the provincial government,” said Tom Parker, president of the Exhibition Association of Nova Scotia.
“Agricultural fairs and exhibitions have been a part of the traditions in our province for decades and we want to support them in remaining sustainable and supporting the ability of agriculture to grow the provincial economy,” said Mr. Colwell.
The provincial government provides about $226,000 in funding to 14 exhibitions and eight community fairs.